topic question

My question is what are some new programs and examples of programs used for graphic design and animation? For a few weeks now I have been researching animation programs. I also linked it to Japan because Studio Ghibli (an animation studio) uses some of the same programs I hope to use. These programs where used to create some of the most amazing movies such as "My Neighbor Totoro", "Ponyo" and many others. Ever since I was a little kid I was interested in animation. I always wondered how animated movies were made. It all started when I saw the movie "My Neighbor Totoro". I was amazed by the interesting animations and how well they were drawn. It looked amazing and I was hooked. After that I started to draw in the style they drew. This style is called amine. It comes from Japan and I found it to be very unique. The eyes showed so much expression. They clearly showed emotion such as sadness and anger. I knew from then on I wanted to be able to draw like that and then animate what I had drawn.